29-07-2025
Tirupati readies for literacy revolution under ‘Ullas – Akshara Andhra'
Tirupati: In line with the Andhra Pradesh government's ambitious initiative 'Ullas – Akshara Andhra', aimed at achieving 100 percent literacy across the state by 2029, the Tirupati district administration has stepped up its efforts to educate a staggering 88,000 plus adult illiterates during the 2025–26 academic year.
The programme, spearheaded by minister for human resources Nara Lokesh, is being implemented in mission mode with the intention of eradicating illiteracy in the 15–59 age group, where nearly 81 lakh people are still illiterate across the state.
Tirupati district collector Dr S Venkateswar has set a target to educate 88,687 adult learners this year, building on the success of educating 12,085 people in 2024–25. In a recent review meeting, he directed officials from the Education Department, DRDA, MEPMA, and ICDS to implement the programme in a coordinated and foolproof manner.
The programme focuses on teaching reading, writing, basic arithmetic, digital literacy, and financial literacy to adults, especially targeting women, daily wage workers, SC, ST and minority communities. Volunteer teachers will be identified, trained, and assigned to conduct classes in local anganwadi centres and community halls across villages and wards.
The academic calendar begins with the opening of literacy centres on August 7, 2025. Teaching sessions will conclude by February 2026, followed by literacy examinations in March 2026. Learners will be prepared for the NIOS FLNAT examination, scheduled for March.
The curriculum spans 100 hours, divided into 15 hours of audio-visual content, 40 hours of classroom sessions, and 45 hours of practice sessions. Classes will be held daily from 5.00 pm to 7.00 pm in a hybrid mode (online and offline). Functional literacy primers (Books 1 & 2) and 42 digital video modules will be provided to teachers and learners, accessible via mobile devices.
Special committees at the district, mandal, and municipal levels have been constituted to oversee the programme. The district committee, chaired by the collector, includes officials from zilla parishad, DRDA, MEPMA, women and child welfare, panchayat, education, public relations, and adult education departments.
Similarly, at the mandal level, the committee will be led by the mandal parishad development officer, while at the municipal level, the municipal commissioner will head the committee. These committees will ensure implementation, monitoring, and coordination at all stages.
Priority will be given to areas with low literacy rates, adopting a saturation approach to ensure full coverage. The Collector instructed the officials to give special attention to the programme and ensure its effective and timely execution.
